Why do so many people define Asperger Syndrome as a mental health condition?

[Amy Susan Rose]

So just don't worry about age, IQ, or anything like that. Life experience is what matters

SomeRandomAspie, where do I begin regarding your post? First of all, I am not living in a fantasy; I am proficiently grounded in reality. I'm can be cynical, however, I find after many decades on this planet that stance does not fly well with oneself and others. I try to put a positive spin on my surroundings albeit sometimes that is not easy to do as an Aspie. But I can ascertain that after decades on this planet I have, believe it or not, mathematical prod, learned through experience, both difficult and copacetic, to balance my emotions, intellect, spirituality, and biology so that I am able to function in most situations as best as I can despite my neurological malady. Yes, life experience is what matters, as you say, and I have plenty of that. I could write a book!

Theres almost always a change if not always. Even if there isn't a change for 3 generations it's still transitional, just over more generations. It's evolution.

Very few of us are around for three generations or more so, therefore, my perspective remains constant regarding Jennocide's statement, "how transitional a lot of NT's can be." Note she did not say all, but a lot. Big difference. Also when you look at the history of mental illness (which I am not juxtaposing with being on the Spectrum) one could say many people's attitudes regarding this are still stymied in the Dark Ages; not generations ago but centuries of misinformation and biased misconceptions that still exist). I'm quite impressed that you can:

jump through weeks worth of calculus in days and I do theoretical physics in my spare time

My sincere hope for you SomeRandomAspie is that you become SomeSignificantAspie in a world that needs our gifts and insights. Also, I'm sorry you discerned through our comments that we were

bragging about your age guys? You sound like 2nd graders trying to figure out who's the oldest!

Seemingly, you missed the valid point that with age (in most cases) comes the wisdom to understand people and events that elude fifteen-year-olds. I have learned quite a few life lessons, and continue looking forward to future lessons that not only benefit myself but those around me as well as my surroundings. As Charles Darwin stated, "In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed." Darwin also stated, "A mathematician is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that doesn't exist." Peace.

 

[SomeRandomAspie]

SomeRandomAspie, where do I begin regarding your post? First of all, I am not living in a fantasy; I am proficiently grounded in reality. I'm can be cynical, however, I find after many decades on this planet that stance does not fly well with oneself and others. I try to put a positive spin on my surroundings albeit sometimes that is not easy to do as an Aspie. But I can ascertain that after decades on this planet I have, believe it or not, mathematical prod, learned through experience, both difficult and copacetic, to balance my emotions, intellect, spirituality, and biology so that I am able to function in most situations as best as I can despite my neurological malady. Yes, life experience is what matters, as you say, and I have plenty of that. I could write a book!

Very few of us are around for three generations or more so, therefore, my perspective remains constant regarding Jennocide's statement, "how transitional a lot of NT's can be." Note she did not say all, but a lot. Big difference. Also when you look at the history of mental illness (which I am not juxtaposing with being on the Spectrum) one could say many people's attitudes regarding this are still stymied in the Dark Ages; not generations ago but centuries of misinformation and biased misconceptions that still exist). I'm quite impressed that you can:

My sincere hope for you SomeRandomAspie is that you become SomeSignificantAspie in a world that needs our gifts and insights. Also, I'm sorry you discerned through our comments that we were
Seemingly, you missed the valid point that with age (in most cases) comes the wisdom to understand people and events that elude fifteen-year-olds. I have learned quite a few life lessons, and continue looking forward to future lessons that not only benefit myself but those around me as well as my surroundings. As Charles Darwin stated, "In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed." Darwin also stated, "A mathematician is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that doesn't exist." Peace.

Yeah, I don't really consider philosiphy my area of expertise. I do however know enough about my own spirituallity that for me any conclusions derived by a means other than logic is invalid for myself. What's the difference between yeast and a human? It's a 3% difference in the DNA. That makes the difference between neurotypical and myself seem very small.

 

[eidetican]

I was diagnosed from a very early age with autism in the 1970s and was obviously born with it, much later I was re-diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome and both my brothers are severely autistic (E.g. they can't count to 5, read or write Etc Etc.). I am however sick and tired of being told even by professionals (E.g. social workers) that Asperger Syndrome is a mental health condition and also that it's NOT a type of learning disability. In the past this has caused me to be placed in supported living with others that have mental health issues (not aspies) which I found to be extremely incompatible causing me serious issues and clashes with other residents, I was extremely unhappy in what was a very destabilising environment. I also keep getting offered support only from mental health organisations that don't seem to have the first clue about understanding Asperger Syndrome and since it's also been stated that Asperger Syndrome is NOT a learning disability it is severely reducing the support and help I am eligible to receive. I understand that many people with Asperger Syndrome also suffer from mental health problems associated to the condition, E.g. depression, but I get really angry to be repeatedly told that Asperger Syndrome is a mental health condition in itself and have actually completely fallen out with my social worker over it (I have not spoken to her for a year+).

What do others think? Do you truly believe that Asperger Syndrome is in fact a mental illness in itself? Do you think that it isn't a learning disability? Maybe this is something specific to the United Kingdom? Please be honest and I promise not to get angry if you disagree with my opinion. If you do agree with me, do you have any advise on what I can do about it? Thank you in advance.

Hi,

I just wondered what you make of my experiences? I've tried to detail how I feel on the following thread,


How are Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Different?


All I can add is that if some of the people I grew up with, particularly teachers, knew how my personality had been perceived and treated by doctors, mental health professionals etc, they would be very angry, as the mental health professionals have tried to paint a picture of me that simply isn't reality and have then accused me of being paranoid, and therefore more mentally ill, when I've challenged them.

How are Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Different?

 

[Amy Susan Rose]

Yeah, I don't really consider philosiphy my area of expertise. I do however know enough about my own spirituallity that for me any conclusions derived by a means other than logic is invalid for myself. What's the difference between yeast and a human? It's a 3% difference in the DNA. That makes the difference between neurotypical and myself seem very small.

When I was fifteen (God, how I can imagine you must hate when an older person starts a sentence with those words ) I was not into philosophy, spirituality, or anything other than rock and roll, skipping school and getting drunk. So, SRA, you are off to a pretty good start. Yes, logic is essential or else we would still all be living in caves however there's a point, I believe, where logic stops and spirituality takes over. Our brains will rot once we are dead but our spirits will live on. Spirituality is different for each and every individual; who knows, you may find spirituality in math!
Also, I did not know that regarding the three percent difference in the DNA of humans and yeast. And I imagine there must be similar small percentages between humans and other forms of life. It just goes to illustrate our connection with every life form on earth. "Mitakuye Oyasin" (We are all related), as the late great Russell Means would say; and he meant that for all living things on the earth, not just humans.

 

[pjcnet]

Hi,

I just wondered what you make of my experiences? I've tried to detail how I feel on the following thread,


How are Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Different?


All I can add is that if some of the people I grew up with, particularly teachers, knew how my personality had been perceived and treated by doctors, mental health professionals etc, they would be very angry, as the mental health professionals have tried to paint a picture of me that simply isn't reality and have then accused me of being paranoid, and therefore more mentally ill, when I've challenged them.

How are Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Different?

Sounds like you were misdiagnosed and misunderstood, and that was then used against you and this in turn made you worse in a vicious circle. You were also given awful antidepressants / antipsychotics which I am very much against, especially for the treatment of autistic spectrum disorders, they always seem to cause people harm overall, even if they might appear to help in the short term (even narcotics appear to help in the short term, in fact even Heroin makes you feel really nice and relaxed without any anxiety or worries for a short while, but it's one of the worst drugs on the planet that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy - yes I know from past experience). I was put on an antidepressant (Seroxat which is now banned) and it drove me "mad" in many ways, I simply wasn't myself, it's a long story, but it ended with me self medicating on other drugs too (been clean for over 12 years). In fact I'm meant to be taking a different antidepressant even now which I've stopped taking against medical advice for many years. It's also interesting that things went downhill for you after your environment changed as for me I greatly struggled when I first lived away from parents even though I was 30 at the time, I didn't have much support and things really went downhill in my life, then when I did get support I kept getting given the "mental health" hat and mixing me with mental health patients (NTs) was utterly ridiculous and couldn't had been more incompatible (serious problems arose).

I constantly forget things, especially where I placed stuff, often I can find something I don't remember putting somewhere that I've been looking for, then I can put it down again a few minutes later and lose it again, it drives me nuts and it doesn't matter how much I try it keeps happening, this has always happened, although it seems to have got worse as I've got older. I also forget appointments and I often sit anxiously wondering whether I've forgotten something I should have done. I am wondering if it has anything to do with autism, although it's not usually thought of as a trait?

After reading about the difference between AS and HFA I have realised that I have most likely been misdiagnosed with AS as an adult since I most certainly had very serious development issues including delayed language as a young child which means I am much more likely to have HFA (most people couldn't understand me properly until I was around 7 years old and people say my voice is different even as an adult). The ridiculous thing is all the doctors / psychiatrist reports including a diagnosis from Professor Rutter were on my paper medical records in the 1970s and never seemed to get transferred over to computer (Professor Rutter, now Sir Michael Llewellyn Rutter was/is the highest UK expert in the field, working with autistic children). I have asked doctors on various occasions as an adult for them to get my paper medical records transferred as apparently this should have happened automatically when the system became computerised, but I always hit a brick wall of excuses and instead I later got a given a much more recent and now unfortunately inaccurate diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome. It's wrong because it obviously doesn't take into account my early developmental and language issues (it's very annoying). I was also diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which my social worker also argued was a mental health condition to further back up her argument that autism is related to mental health (as I wrote before I fell out with her over all this), obviously OCD is entirely part of being an aspie in the first place. The problem of me forgetting things never got brought up and wasn't considered or diagnosed.

 

[Aspie_With_Attitude]

This is my story about how I was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndromes. Especially this being in the 1980's and the 1990's.

 

[eidetican]

Hi,

I just wondered what you make of my experiences? I've tried to detail how I feel on the following thread,


How are Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Different?


All I can add is that if some of the people I grew up with, particularly teachers, knew how my personality had been perceived and treated by doctors, mental health professionals etc, they would be very angry, as the mental health professionals have tried to paint a picture of me that simply isn't reality and have then accused me of being paranoid, and therefore more mentally ill, when I've challenged them.

How are Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Different?

Just thought I'd say for the record that I was diagnosed with autism last year. I have mixed feelings about the diagnosis, especially given some of the things I discussed as above.

As a snapshot I scored 10/10 on the AQ-10, 14/80 on the EQ and interestingly 120/240 on RAADS-R with the score in the Social relatedness section showing the largest deviation from the threshold value for suspected autism. I'm not sure how relevant these scores are but all scores met or passed the threshold values.

 

[eidetican]

Sounds like you were misdiagnosed and misunderstood, and that was then used against you and this in turn made you worse in a vicious circle. You were also given awful antidepressants / antipsychotics which I am very much against, especially for the treatment of autistic spectrum disorders, they always seem to cause people harm overall, even if they might appear to help in the short term (even narcotics appear to help in the short term, in fact even Heroin makes you feel really nice and relaxed without any anxiety or worries for a short while, but it's one of the worst drugs on the planet that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy - yes I know from past experience). I was put on an antidepressant (Seroxat which is now banned) and it drove me "mad" in many ways, I simply wasn't myself, it's a long story, but it ended with me self medicating on other drugs too (been clean for over 12 years). In fact I'm meant to be taking a different antidepressant even now which I've stopped taking against medical advice for many years. It's also interesting that things went downhill for you after your environment changed as for me I greatly struggled when I first lived away from parents even though I was 30 at the time, I didn't have much support and things really went downhill in my life, then when I did get support I kept getting given the "mental health" hat and mixing me with mental health patients (NTs) was utterly ridiculous and couldn't had been more incompatible (serious problems arose).

I constantly forget things, especially where I placed stuff, often I can find something I don't remember putting somewhere that I've been looking for, then I can put it down again a few minutes later and lose it again, it drives me nuts and it doesn't matter how much I try it keeps happening, this has always happened, although it seems to have got worse as I've got older. I also forget appointments and I often sit anxiously wondering whether I've forgotten something I should have done. I am wondering if it has anything to do with autism, although it's not usually thought of as a trait?

After reading about the difference between AS and HFA I have realised that I have most likely been misdiagnosed with AS as an adult since I most certainly had very serious development issues including delayed language as a young child which means I am much more likely to have HFA (most people couldn't understand me properly until I was around 7 years old and people say my voice is different even as an adult). The ridiculous thing is all the doctors / psychiatrist reports including a diagnosis from Professor Rutter were on my paper medical records in the 1970s and never seemed to get transferred over to computer (Professor Rutter, now Sir Michael Llewellyn Rutter was/is the highest UK expert in the field, working with autistic children). I have asked doctors on various occasions as an adult for them to get my paper medical records transferred as apparently this should have happened automatically when the system became computerised, but I always hit a brick wall of excuses and instead I later got a given a much more recent and now unfortunately inaccurate diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome. It's wrong because it obviously doesn't take into account my early developmental and language issues (it's very annoying). I was also diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which my social worker also argued was a mental health condition to further back up her argument that autism is related to mental health (as I wrote before I fell out with her over all this), obviously OCD is entirely part of being an aspie in the first place. The problem of me forgetting things never got brought up and wasn't considered or diagnosed.

Sorry I missed this. Thanks for your detailed reply and your honesty about your situation.

 

[Aspychata]

In my life, l walk around and observe people carefully. l find there are lots of messed up people on the planet. l don't dwell on my limitations or proficiencies, but l function with the limitations around me. The last several jobs l had, one lady had some type of mental issue, the next job, the lady had severe OCD. We really have no clue how healthly our peers really are including NT's. All l know is when a situation explodes, l am always standing, and cannot be knocked down.